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lbelow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
I had to give this one two tries before I got into it. (A killer first chapter followed by several chapters of backstory is one of my reading pet peeves.) But once I got past the initial flashback, I was hooked. This is the kind of book that has you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what comes next. I am eager to read the sequel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Genocide
welgan's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I liked this story a lot !
I've read it for the "Survival" square of r/fantasy book bingo and the less I can say is that it FITS. I'm glad I followed the recommendation of book bingo on this one because I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise !
You see, I am a sucker for abandonned starships and the cosmic horror of absolute loneliness among the secrets of the past. I LOVE it. Well, this book was not about that, at all. I don't think our main character spends more than 12 total pages alone in this supposedly abandonned starship (but if you have read the cover blurb, it is quite advertised as such so you shouldn't be surprised). And you know what ? It's fine, because the book is great in what it actually does.
It kinda feels like a survival action SF series to be honest, and the action was tense. It's what prevents it from being 5 stars of the heart for me, because it's not my favorite genre right now, but it was great nonetheless.
I especially liked the characters and their relationships. I think they were very human, relatable and complex. Sean, the main character, is unable to shut up even if his life depends on it, and this can be very annoying if that's treated as a comic relief, but it was not, and I think we really benefited from being in his head. I feel attached to him and I can say I liked reading him as a main character.
I also liked that the fact he is a translator actually is significatively usefull and that it shows in the way he approches situations and what he learns first from other people.
Minor spoiler :
I could swear there was some homoerotic tension between Sean and Indigo. I was very surprised that it seemed to go in this direction, as I wasn't expecting that from that story, and in the end nothing can confirm this theory, but I really like the fact the 3 survivors stick together in the end. We can then imagine what we want, and I think it's a fine way to wrap up a story with such strong relationships build on survival.
I've read it for the "Survival" square of r/fantasy book bingo and the less I can say is that it FITS. I'm glad I followed the recommendation of book bingo on this one because I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise !
You see, I am a sucker for abandonned starships and the cosmic horror of absolute loneliness among the secrets of the past. I LOVE it. Well, this book was not about that, at all. I don't think our main character spends more than 12 total pages alone in this supposedly abandonned starship (but if you have read the cover blurb, it is quite advertised as such so you shouldn't be surprised). And you know what ? It's fine, because the book is great in what it actually does.
It kinda feels like a survival action SF series to be honest, and the action was tense. It's what prevents it from being 5 stars of the heart for me, because it's not my favorite genre right now, but it was great nonetheless.
I especially liked the characters and their relationships. I think they were very human, relatable and complex. Sean, the main character, is unable to shut up even if his life depends on it, and this can be very annoying if that's treated as a comic relief, but it was not, and I think we really benefited from being in his head. I feel attached to him and I can say I liked reading him as a main character.
I also liked that the fact he is a translator actually is significatively usefull and that it shows in the way he approches situations and what he learns first from other people.
Minor spoiler :
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: War
Minor: Terminal illness
athnyx230's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Genocide and War
martinatan's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Despite slow initial pacing that made it difficult to get into the plot, ultimately I came to appreciate the thrilling progression of events interspersed with endearing character moments. I appreciated that the story explored interpersonal and political dynamics with an ultimate message of unity and overcoming difference. I didn’t expect there to be a bio-horror angle but it came together decently and added to the disturbing nature of the setting. This book was not seamless in its plot and worldbuilding, but was still well-written and has a lot of heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Death, Genocide, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Xenophobia, Grief, and War
azrah786's review
4.5
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury detail, body horror, self harm, war, death, death of parents, genocide
--
A brilliant debut, The Immortality Thief is a high stakes sci-fi adventure with a dash of horror that will keep you entertained all the way through. Don’t let the 600+page count daunt you because the chapters are short and the story is super compelling, you’ll be whizzing through and wishing for more as soon as you get to the end.
To sum it up the book is basically a locked room treasure hunt, where the room in question is an abandoned spaceship that is docked near a star on the verge of supernova. Long lost, the ship is known to hold data including the secrets of immortality - the Philosopher’s Stone experiments - and there are 3 groups with their eyes on the prize.
One is a handful of convicts who have been coerced into salvaging the data in order to avoid a life sentence in prison – our protagonist Sean Wren, smuggler and expert linguist, is part of this group. There is also The Republic, the last free human government, and The Ministers, an immortal species of alien trying to subjugate all of humanity – two groups that have been at war for centuries. But not only is time against them all, so are all the traps, monsters and secrets that have been hiding in the dark corners of the spaceship for the last thousand years.
**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**
CW: violence, blood, injury detail, body horror, self harm, war, death, death of parents, genocide
--
A brilliant debut, The Immortality Thief is a high stakes sci-fi adventure with a dash of horror that will keep you entertained all the way through. Don’t let the 600+page count daunt you because the chapters are short and the story is super compelling, you’ll be whizzing through and wishing for more as soon as you get to the end.
To sum it up the book is basically a locked room treasure hunt, where the room in question is an abandoned spaceship that is docked near a star on the verge of supernova. Long lost, the ship is known to hold data including the secrets of immortality - the Philosopher’s Stone experiments - and there are 3 groups with their eyes on the prize.
One is a handful of convicts who have been coerced into salvaging the data in order to avoid a life sentence in prison – our protagonist Sean Wren, smuggler and expert linguist, is part of this group. There is also The Republic, the last free human government, and The Ministers, an immortal species of alien trying to subjugate all of humanity – two groups that have been at war for centuries. But not only is time against them all, so are all the traps, monsters and secrets that have been hiding in the dark corners of the spaceship for the last thousand years.
"It probably won't bite," I reassured her.
"In my experience, spaceships don't. Not usually."
Now going into this book I expected full on action but I was pleasantly surprised with how equally humorous and thought-provoking the overall storyline was, but there is of course a fair bit of tragedy, gore and terror involved too.
From the creepy monsters and murderous tech to venturing into the unknown, Hunt’s writing perfectly captured the eerie atmosphere and heart racing tension of always having to watch your back. Though the plot predominantly unfolds in the one vast setting, the worldbuilding is gradually fleshed out through character flashbacks and the secrets that are uncovered as the ship is explored, to give us an idea of the wider universe and its history. What makes this story in particular so original and refreshing though is the focus and commentary on translation, communication and languages.
"There's no point resenting what's already happened; it's done. The only thing to do is make my situation better from here."
Sean has a mouth that gets him into trouble just as much as it gets him out of it which made his perspective both endearing and annoying to follow. (If you like witty chapter titles then you’re in for a treat.) The guy has a good heart but lacks the usual qualities expected of a leading hero and it is his familiarity with the ancient language of Ameng that makes him a key player in the hunt. Thus he finds himself negotiating for his skills with an array of interesting characters.
Among those Sean finds himself having to work with, the most notable are of course Lantern Eyes and Indigo. The reluctant relationship and banter that sparks between this trio was so fun and was my favourite part of the book.
I’m not going to go in to much detail here because honestly it is so worth enjoying it first hand, but if you love stories full of twists and high stakes, a good monster chase, morally grey characters and reluctant alliances bordering on found family then you don’t want to miss this one!
I’m eager to get my hands on the next book in the series to discover more of this world Hunt has created and to see what happens next!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
boojumssnark's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This review is a place holder for a properly thought out, constructive review.
While I work on that, the only thing you need to know is THE BOOK IS GOOD, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ IT.
While I work on that, the only thing you need to know is THE BOOK IS GOOD, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ IT.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
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